Autumn Harvest Chili

Cozy Autumn Chili

This Autumn Harvest Chili is a perfectly cozy dinner for a cool Fall night. It’s filled with the flavors of autumn squashes, from the pumpkin puree mixed into the soup base and cubed butternut squash. There’s a can of pumpkin beer for a bit of sweetness and depth. And seasoned with warm spices, like chili powder and cinnamon. It’s then rounded out with some classic chili ingredients like beef, beans, tomatoes, and jalapeno. It’s an easy dinner to make ahead, let simmer all day, and enjoy on a cool night. Make this recipe for game day, Halloween, or to serve a crowd the evening before Thanksgiving!

The Supplies

Ingredients

To make this autumn harvest chili recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Carrots
• Butternut squash
• Garlic
• Jalapeno
• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Paprika
• Dried oregano
• Cayenne pepper
• Ground beef
• Beef broth
• Canned pumpkin puree
• Pumpkin beer (or additional beef broth)
• Canned tomato sauce
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Canned kidney beans
• Chopped green onions and sour cream for garnish

For the exact ingredient amounts, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Equipment

In order to make this autumn harvest chili, you’ll need the following pieces of equipment:

• Cutting board and knife
• Large dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot
• Wooden spatula or spoon
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Can opener
• Sieve or colander to rinse the beans

Frequent Recipes Questions

Q: Can I make this chili recipe in advance?

• A: Yes! Chili is almost always best when it’s made early and slow cooked all day. Prepare this chili in the morning, or even the night before, and let it cook for a few hours before enjoying it. If you make this recipe the day before, refrigerate it an an airtight container and then reheat the next day on the stove top or in a slow cooker.

Is this harvest chili recipe kid friendly?

• A: There is beer in this recipe, but it is cooked long enough that most of the alcohol should be cooked out. That said, if you’re serving this recipe to children or people who do not drink alcohol, you can substitute the pumpkin beer with additional beef broth.

Can I put this chili in the slow cooker?

• A: Yes! Prepare the chili on the stove top to cook the vegetables, brown the beef, and reduce the beer. Once the chili is prepared, but before the beans have been added, transfer the chili to the slow cooker. Then, keep it warm in the slow cooker for a few hours until you’re ready to serve. Then, stir in the beans and enjoy! 

Can I substitute the beef?

• A: You can! If you don’t enjoy beef, substitute the beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. You can also substitute the beef broth for chicken broth.

Recipe Tips

When you make this autumn harvest chili recipe, here are a few tips to make sure it turns out great:

• To make your cooking process smoother, measure and add your spices to a small mixing or pinch bowl while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients. Set it aside and then pour it all in when the recipe calls for it. 
• When using canned beans, be sure to rinse them really well before adding them into the chili. The liquid around the beans in the can is full of starch and can impact the texture of the chili. Rinse the beans in a sieve or colander until all of the foam rinses away.
• When picking the ground beef at the grocery store, this recipe does best with a lower fat percentage. There’s plenty of richness from the other ingredients in this chili, so it doesn’t need the extra beef fat. I like to grab the 96% percent, but get what’s best for your taste and budget.

Autumn Harvest Chili Recipe Details

Start the Chili

To start this recipe, get out a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot and set it on the stove top. Turn the burner under the dutch oven to medium heat. Drizzle a glug of olive oil into the pot and let it heat for a few seconds. Add the diced yellow onions into the dutch oven and cook them for about 5 minutes, until they’re soft. Add the diced carrots and cubed butternut squash and cook for another few minutes. Use your knife to scrape in the minced garlic and jalapeno and cook for another minute more.

Sprinkle in the seasonings and stir to coat the onions. Let the aromatics warm up for about 30 seconds until they’re super fragrant. Add the ground beef to the dutch oven and use a wooden spoon to break it up into smaller pieces. Brown the beef and continue to stir the onions, until the beef is completely cooked through.

Build the Chili Broth

Once the beef is browned and cooked through, gently pour in the pumpkin beer. Simmer the pumpkin beer for a couple minutes to reduce it. Once the pumpkin beer has reduced slightly, pour in the beef broth, pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Stir everything together and then bring the chili to a simmer. Once it begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low. Cook the harvest chili for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Finish the Chili and Serve

Once you’re ready to serve the chili, take the dutch oven off of the heat completely. Stir in the rinsed kidney beans and let them heat for a couple minutes. Ladle the autumn harvest chili into bowls and then garnish with green onions and sour cream. Enjoy with a side of corn bread and an Apple Cider Kentucky Mule for a delicious night in!

If you make this autumn harvest chili, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating – I can’t wait to hear how it goes. As always, tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook in your photos. It makes me feel like we’re getting to cook together!

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Game Day

Autumn Harvest Chili

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Simmered, Slow Cooker Cuisine: American Courses: Main Course, Soup

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 1 hr Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Servings: 6

Best Season: Fall

Dietary:

N Nut Free

Description

Autumn harvest chili packed with the flavors of Fall, like pumpkin, squash, carrots, onions, and pumpkin beer. Plus beef, beans, and spices.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• ¹⁄₂ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 pound butternut squash, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cups beef broth
• 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
• 12 ounces pumpkin beer (or 2 additional cups beef broth)
• 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 14.5 ounces canned tomato sauce
• 14.5 ounces canned kidney beans, rinsed well
• Chopped green onions and sour cream for garnish

Instructions

1. Place a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat on the stove top. Drizzle the olive oil into the pot and let the oil heat for about 15 seconds. Add the diced onions into the dutch oven and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add the diced carrots and cubed butternut squash and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes. Scrape in the minced garlic and jalapeno and cook for 1 minute more until the garlic is fragrant.

2. Sprinkle the chili powder, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, and cayenne into the pot. Cook for 30 seconds to toast the spices.

3. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks.

4. Once the beef is browned, pour in the pumpkin beer. Simmer the beer for 2 minutes to reduce it slightly. Pour in the beef broth, pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Bring the chili to a simmer and reduce the heat down to low. Cook for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. Once you're ready to serve the chili, take the dutch oven off of the heat. Stir in the rinsed kidney beans and let them heat for 2-4 minutes. Ladle the chili into bowls and garnish with green onions and sour cream. Enjoy!